What is the lowest and slowest way I can bake pork ribs?

Question

I am leaving for about 7-8 hours and I was wondering if it's possible to pop the ribs in the oven before I leave and have them come out super tender. Ive seen some recipes that suggest 250 for three hours. Can I go even lower and leave them in for longer?

Also: is it bad to have the oven going (even at a low temp) if I'm not at the house?

Answer 1

To achieve "done" pork ribs should reach an internal temp of 160°F (71ºC). The longer it takes to get there be more tender they will be. I would not recommend going any lower than 200°F (93ºC) for your cooking temp, even if that means turning the heat up a little at the end to reach your internal temp of 160°F. Put a good rub on, wrap the racks of ribs (individually) in aluminum foil, with some beer or cola in there (or other braising liquid) and let them go. For a video of how to do this watch this episode of "Good Eats" All of that said, I have never tried to let the ribs go 7 hours unattended, so I would try it when you have the time to hang around and monitor the internal temp, again looking for 160°F internal temp and that will give you a means to determine what is "done".

Answer 2

I use this guy's technique for grilling ribs, which calls for 5-6 hours at 225°F (105°C) on a grill or smoker (3-4 hours for baby backs). I've done them many times this way and they're absolutely delicious. I don't see any problem at all upping that to 7 hours and lowering the temp to 200°F (95°C). I wouldn't wrap them in foil or add liquid, but I probably would tent them with foil.

And assuming you have a modern gas or electric stove, there should be no problem leaving it on while you're away. People do that the world over every day.

Answer 3

If you drop the cooking temperature low enough, you should be able to let the ribs cook for 7-8 hours. At 225f or 250f, I would be worried about coming home to a mushy mess, but at 200f it should be about right. You definitely do not want to foil your ribs. That will speed the cooking process, which you do not want. I would be pretty hesitant to cook a roast or a whole animal at such a low temperature, as the volume of meat that is away from the surface could keep the interior at unsafe temperatures for too long, but with ribs there should be no safety issue.